The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos have been on opposite ends of the spectrum for years. The Patriots are one of the most best teams in the past few years while the Broncos have struggled ever since the glory days of Coach Shanahan. Despite this, the two teams will face off on Saturday night to see who goes to the AFC Championship game.

The name of the game for the Patriots on offense is versatility. Players like Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker can line up all over the field and give the Patriots opportunities to create mismatches. Both tight ends (Gronkowski and Hernandez) had monster games last time these two teams met because Denver’s linebackers couldn’t match up with them 1 on 1. New England needs to spread out the field and open up the passing game. Defensively, New England needs to keep everything in front of them. I’m still baffled as to how Pittsburgh gave up some much through the air, but New England would be wise to learn from their misfortune. The also need to get pressure on Tebow. A lot of his completions are when he has plenty of time to read defenses and make proper throws. Take

For the Broncos, everyone wants to talk non-stop about Tim Tebow, but to me the running game as a whole is most important. The Broncos love to do bootlegs, roll-outs, and play action passes which are possible due to the success rate of the running game. McGahee, Ball, and Tebow need to be able to grind it out on the ground to have success. The more creative the running plays the better too. On defense, the Broncos need to find a way to get to Tom Brady. They would be foolish to think they can line up and cover all of New England’s receiving threats so they need to make sure they constantly pressure Brady into quick throws. Denver shouldn’t have a problem with New England’s running attack.

As much as everyone wants Tim Tebow’s awesome playoff run continue, the Patriots are too experienced and too talented to lose. They know what it takes to win and know what to expect. It would take some serious mistakes on New England’s part for this to be close. That, and Tebow is playing on a Saturday instead of a Sunday.

Houston came away Saturday night riding high after dismantling the Cincinnati Bengals despite being decimated by injuries. Not bad considering it was their first playoff game in the team’s short history. This week they meet the Baltimore Ravens who they always seem struggle against and even lost to in week 6 earlier this season.

Because of injuries, Houston’s offense is predicated by the run. I doubt there’s a better 1-2 running back combo in the NFL better than Arian Foster and Ben Tate. The ability to run will take pressure off TJ Yates and let him manage the game accordingly. Yates can make plays and has some great weapons in Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels, but Baltimore’s defense is too experienced and talented to let a rookie QB torch them. Defensively, Houston needs to focus on shutting down Ray Rice and make everything go through Joe Flacco. He’s a solid QB, but his numbers in the playoffs are mediocre at best. Houston needs to jump out to a quick lead so they can control the tempo of the game and not let it get out of hand.

Offensively, Baltimore needs to stay as balanced. What made Baltimore so successful week 6 was that everyone on offense was involved so Houston couldn’t key in on one player. Too much Ray Rice and they become predictable and easy to stop. Too much Flacco and he’s bound to make a mistake from too many passes. The tight ends, Pitta and Dickson, should be able to have monster games working over the middle. As far as the defense goes, they need to force turnovers. Even with a rookie QB, Houston found a way to beat Cincinnati by 21 because they played mistake-free football. They also need to collapse the pocket to try and rattle Yates.

Both teams have dominant defenses and offenses that can score. Houston only has 1 playoff game under their belt while Baltimore has been underwhelming the past few years they’ve been in the playoffs. I think the Texans have a shot, but they will have to play mistake-free football and get a few breaks as well. Overall, I think Houston’s injuries and lack of playoff experience spell the end of their 2011 playoff run.